Tents and canopies are commonly available in a variety of forms and used in a variety of applications for providing temporary shelter against weather and other environmental factors. For example, tents and canopies may be used for various recreational purposes such as for camping, for small picnics or tailgating, and for parties. Tents and canopies may also be used for larger commercial applications in which multiple tents and canopies may be arranged in different configurations.
One primary purpose for using a tent or a canopy may be to prevent the people or items within or underneath the tent or canopy from getting wet when it rains outside. Thus, the tent or canopy may be designed to deflect water from falling straight down onto the people or items underneath. However, if the rain falls at an excessive rate, the tent or canopy may not be able to deflect water fast enough, in which case rainwater may accumulate or pool on the topside. This may cause damage to the fabric of the tent or canopy, or to the frame of the canopy or tent, and possibly cause the tent or canopy to collapse from under the weight of accumulating rainwater.
In addition, simply deflecting rainwater to the sides of the canopy 100, as illustrated in FIG. 1, as is common in current canopy designs, may cause water to accumulate on the ground 102 beside the canopy which may create an inconvenience for people inside the canopy when they go to exit from under the canopy. Also, the deflected water 104 running down and off to the sides of the canopy may also cause an inconvenience to people walking into and out from the canopy as they may be exposed to concentrated amounts of heavy rainwater. These concentrated amounts of heavy rainwater running down the sides of the canopy may also cause discomfort and an inconvenience to people inside the canopy as the inside of the canopy may experience extra exposure to water resulting from this running water splashing on the sides of the canopy.
Further, when exposed to excessive wind, commonly used tent and canopy designs may experience movement unless being weighed down, which may cause inconvenience to the users or occupants. Specifically, a canopy has a tendency to lift upwards as it is introduced to the wind. If the canopy rises up off the ground, then even more wind is able to collect underneath which makes the canopy even more susceptible to blowing away. In some cases, the canopy may be damaged when exposed to extreme winds.
In addition, when configuring multiple canopies in various arrangements for larger events or commercial applications, rain may fall between the gaps of the canopies, since existing canopy designs are not configured to fit flush against one another. This accumulation of rain in between canopies may further create an unpleasant and inconvenient scenario for people under the canopies.